Single Wish: Rise Of The Omniscient Paragon

Yara stared up at Corey as his foot remained firmly pressed against her chest.

The words of flame still hovered in the air beside him.

You want to see your sister? Die. I'm sure she's waiting.

The silence that followed was heavy but Yara's breathing was heavier.

Her eyes trembled.

Her lips parted slightly, and her entire body began to shake.

Not from the weight of Corey's foot, but from the weight of his words.

She didn't blink.

She didn't move.

Her chest rose and fell.

Tears streamed from the corners of her eyes, and her hands clenched into fists on the ground beside her.

Zeke's mouth slowly opened in disbelief.

"Yo... Ryan... what the actual hell, man?"

Myra's brows furrowed deeply as her eyes snapped toward Corey.

"Was that really necessary?"

Aelric flinched. "That was cold and brutal. Even for me."

Corey didn't respond.

Not verbally.

He waved his fingers once again, and another wave of flame bloomed beside him. It was controlled and elegant, and it glowed faintly in the dimly lit room.

"She needs to wake up to reality. Her sister is gone, and she needs to accept that and stop being delusional."

Another line followed.

"Unless you want her to escape, and you want to face that thing outside?... Then be my guest."

Zeke scoffed, shaking his head. "That's not how you treat a teammate, bro. She's not a monster-"

"She's not... But she attacked you."

The new flame-words burned with a deeper orange hue. They hung in the air like a brand, and like a sentence carved into reality itself.

As the expressions of everybody changed to one of anger and at Corey's words, and most especially his completely indifferent expression, Kieran was silent.

His eyes were locked on the flaming words, and most especially, Corey's fingers.

He was stunned by how precise and fast Corey was at creating the flaming words.

Through his unique eyes, he could see how the fire element moved, and how Corey was manipulating it like he was conducting a spell, but a spell that was made just to write.

There was not a single wasted motion.

It wasn't just a trick. It was mastery. Pure unrivaled mastery he had never seen before.

'He made those flame words in less than three seconds,' Kieran thought. 'And they held their shape without dissipating. If he was a Tier 4, it wouldn't be so surprising, but he's just a Tier 3. A mortal.'

'The words didn't flicker. They didn't break. And he formed them with a control, with an enchanting finesse I've never seen before.'

'Many would die for his extreme talent of control.'

Corey's expression remained passive.

He raised two fingers again, and the flames shifted.

"From the looks of things, the monster cannot enter the house, so we're safe for now. I suggest we wait for the Day to arrive."

Kieran took a step forward and nodded at Corey's words. "You're probably right, but Myra and Zeke are right. This is no way to treat a teammate."

Corey said nothing, and his expression remained the same.

Indifferent.

Kieran gave a small nod, then looked down at Yara.

Her body was no longer trembling, but her expression was one of grief, shock, and a thousand emotions clashing within her all at once.

Kieran knelt beside her.

"Yara," he said gently. "Can you hear me?"

She didn't respond.

She only stared at the shattered glass in the window.

"Ryan, " Myra said while frowning. "Ease off. She's not going anywhere now."

Corey raised a brow at her, but he didn't say anything.

He removed his foot slowly and stepped back. He leaned on the nearest wall with his arms folded.

"She's quiet now, but that doesn't mean she's stable," Zeke muttered. "I still vote we knock her out."

Corey moved his fingers again.

"Agreed."

"Seriously?" Myra frowned. "She's clearly going through something. She doesn't need a punch to the face-"

BANG!

A sudden loud sound slammed against the window, causing everybody to flinch in surprise.

Except Corey.

He calmly looked at window with furrowed brows.

Lili who had been quiet for some time now, was back. But this time, there was no smile or calmness on her face.

Instead, her face was twisted in fear.

True fear.

She banged on the window with her small fists, and her voice cracked.

"Yaya! Please! Something's coming! I don't know what it is! Please! Let me in!"

Yara's head snapped up, and her eyes widened.

"Lili?"

She scrambled to her feet, and stumbled toward the window.

Corey moved his fingers once again with a deep frown.

"Stop her."

He said, but Myra merely scoffed. Zeke shook his head, Aelric crossed his arms, and Kieran had a pondering and solemn expression.

Corey saw all of these, and he shrugged.

"What's happening?! What's wrong?!" Yara cried with a frantic and high-pitched voice.

Lili kept pounding the glass.

"I don't know! It's- It's coming! Please! Yaya, help me! Save me!"

"Tell me what it is!" Yara pressed both palms to the glass. "Tell me what's happening!"

Lili's eyes darted to the left.

Then to the right.

Then she looked up.

Her face turned white.

"No... no! no! no! no-!" She screamed in fear.

Then...

From above, a gaping maw descended. It had a putrid grey flesh, and it was extremely massive.

The creature's teeth were jagged and discoloured, and the gums pulsed with black veins.

Yara saw this, and her eyes opened wide in disbelief and fear.

She tried to move, but its speed was fast, way too fast for her to react to.

The mouth opened wide... And clamped shut on Lili.

CRUNCH!

Half her body disappeared in an instant, and thick dark blood sprayed across the window.

The girl's lower half jerked once.

Then twice.

Then it collapsed like a puppet with cut strings.

Her head and shoulders were gone.

Devoured.

Red blood dripped from the window, and Yara froze.

But only for a second, until she...

"No..."

Her voice was barely a whisper at first... Then it broke.

"NOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!"

A scream that shook the walls, ceiling, and every single object in the building.

A powerful blast of mana erupted from her body, and the air vibrated, the walls groaned, and the windows...

They shattered into pieces.

Glass rained across the floor as shadows surged outward like a storm.

The expressions of everybody drastically changed, and Corey released an extremely subtle frustrated sigh.

"Yara!" Myra shouted, but it was too late.

Something moved in the air.

It was fast. Extremely fast.

And when everybody saw it, they saw that it was a hand. A pale, thin hand.

It shot through the broken window and wrapped around Yara's neck.

Everyone reacted.

They drew their weapons. Blades were raised, and spells were charged.

But before they could move, they froze.

Not because what floated into the room wasn't a monster, but Lili.

No.

It was because they could finally feel the immense pressure coming from the creature that had Lili's face.

Tier 5.

A powerful Tier 5 aura slammed into their minds and bodies, causing them to freeze in fear.

Meanwhile, Lili, or the monster, hovered unnaturally through the window.

Half of her face was disfigured, but she was still smiling.

Blood covered her dress, and then she said with a sweet and soft voice.

"Why did you abandon me again, Yaya?"